Tag Archives: Brian RIchardson

This “semievergreen” hardy perennial can be harvested year round on Vancouver Island.
Not only is this plant deer resistant, but it is listed as an aromatic herb that Repels deer!
That’s quite a claim !

Lovage (Levisticum officinale) this reliable Hardy Perennial is one of the first pants to shoot up in spring. Here on Southern Vancouver Island, it has sprouted up over a foot by the end of March. It is easy to grow but give this plant a lot of room in your garden as it grows over 2 M high.

Leaves have excellent celery like flavor and is used soups, stews and casseroles. The seeds whole or ground are used in pickling brine, cheese spreads, dressings and sauces. Here are a few ideas.

Chervil (Anthriscus cerefolium ) has been a popular culinary and medicinal herb since before the times of the Roman Empire. However recently, it seems to be out of favor. To bad , it has a lot going for it …. it’s delicate anise flavor adds depth to a green salad, also it is part of the French herb combination ” Fines Herbes” used as a herb base for many culinary masterpieces. This short lived annual is easy to grow, can be harvested all year and self seeds readily, so keep a moist partial shade area of your herb garden reserved for a Chervil corner.

Well it is starting all over again, there is still snow on the ground, but the seeds are here and it is time get everything started so they are ready for spring plant sales. Here are a few of the “new to us” plants I am going to start this season. Continue reading →

May Day is an ancient Northern Hemisphere spring festival with ( of course ! ) a connection to herbs. In Germany Sweet Woodruff ( Galium odoratum ) is added to Rhine wine to make a delicious drink called Mailbowle. In Romania Mugwort ( Artemisia vulgaris ) flavored red wine is one of the beverages of choice. Spring, dancing, herbs, and wine …. Tanz in den Mai !

In a race for the sun, Hops pop up early, and just keep going. As is typical of herbaceous perennials they die back to the ground level every fall, but by August the bines will be over 4 meters high. Humulus Lupulus is in the Cannabaceae pant family.